A few folks at the last Ohio Cardinal has asked about various chess players – and Clif Rowan’s name came up.  The article posted on this site was accidentally deleted….we won’t go into the details, but suffice to say – it was an error not to be repeated.  Here’s to remembering Clif once again…..

Clif – we continue to miss you. 

Dayton Chess Legend Dies

 Washington Clifton Rowan Jr, known to us as Clif or Clifton passed away October 3, 2007.  Graveside services were on October 12, 2007 (Friday) at 1 p.m. at Greencastle Cemetery.3020 Athens Avenue Dayton, OH.  Arrangements for the burial service were entrusted to the Thomas Funeral Home 4520 Salem Avenue in Dayton Ohio. 

From the obituary in the October 11, 2007 Dayton Daily News:

Clifton Rowan, 90, was called home to his Heavenly Father after a lengthy illness. Clifton was born in Mexico, Missouri and resided in Dayton for the majority of his life. He was a member of the very first class at Dunbar High School. After attending Dunbar, he spent 3 years in the U.S. Navy.   He was employed and later retired from the Liberal Market Distribution Center.  He was also a union member of local 969 and was Steward of Liberal Markets Inc. Warehouse.  
Clifton was an avid and respected chess player and played in tournaments throughout the Midwest.  He also enjoyed tennis and checkers and was a great conversationalist.
Clifton was preceded in death by his parents Dr. Washington Clifton Rowan and Verna Rowan; his loving wife Abigail, his son Washington III; 2 brothers, James and Clarence Edwin and a sister Evelyn.
He is survived by his brother Willard S. Rowan; brothers-in-law Samuel Mikes and Ernest Westbrooke; sister-in-law Pauline Corbitt and a host of nephews, nieces, and other relatives and friends. 

From Riley Driver in the early hours of October 12, 2007:

Clif Rowan was my close dear friend and I will miss him dearly.  He was like an Uncle to Sharon and I. He was like that for many in the chess community in Dayton, Ohio and beyond. 

There is a young man in California he regularly corresponded with whom he met at the Dayton Chess Club.  They shared an interest in chess and in discussing God that made them close friends.  Clif was 80 and the young man was 12.  They both loved the game of chess and conversing about God.

Clif was a tremendously respected chess player.  He was so widely read and his knowledge was so in-depth that chess masters were often required to give credence to his chessic ideas.  Clif was a fierce and competitive chess player.  Still, win or lose or draw, he was always ready to analyze his games in-depth with his opponent in the search for truth. 

Clif’s older brother Willard gave Clifton his first chess set and book on Clifs 14th birthday.  Thank you Willard, because of you and your gift to Clifton you ended up providing a gift to the chess world. 

Clif Rowan was simply a fine man who happened to play and love chess.  We are all the better for having known him. 

If you have any thoughts, comments, games, pictures or otherwise you would like to share with the chess community about Clif please email them to me at dcc.18w5@sbcglobal.net and I will put them together and publish them for the chess community here, on the Ohio Chess Association website, and submit also to USCF.